Apparatus for removing ravellings and the like from textile webs



June 14, 1955 F R. PIPER m- AL 2,710,438 APPARATUS FOR REMOVING RAVELLINGS AND THE LIKE FROM TEXTILE WEBS Filed May 14, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet l olis:

fi anis R.P,p,er, a, James M. Gamma-T;

ATTORNEYS.

June 14, 1955 F. R. PIPER ETAL 2,710,433

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING RAVELLINGS AND THE LIKE FROM TEXTILE WEBS Filed May 14, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I i I I! I I 120 E 0 I fink R -EIP1BP, amesM, any/anew) June 14, 1955 F. R PIPER EIAL 2,710,438

APPARATUS FbR REMOVING RAVELLINGS AND THE LIKE FROM TEXTILE WEBS Filed May 14, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Mia ENTOii s:

Fzyank Pip er, Jfimes M @azpdner,

ATTORNEYS.

June 14, 1955 F. R. PIPER ET AL APPARATUS FOR REMOVING RAVELLINGS AND THE LIKE FROM TEXTILE WEBS 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed May 14, 1951 NVENTORS.

James" M. G az dner, BY

ATTORNEYS.

F. R. PIPER ET AL APPARATUS FOR REMOVING RAVELLINGS AND THE LIKE FROM TEXTILE WEBS June 14, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 14, 1951 8 2 9 m 0 r o m; m g. u n k. w Q m n /0 M m R p g W .F J ou fa i m Y 4 s W B 0 LOOP 6/05 P/LE n u u u u n u 1| n u n! APPARATUS FOR REMGVING RAVELLINGS AND THE LIKE FRQM TEXTELE WEBS Frank R. Piper and James M. Gardner, Fairfax, Ala, assignors to West Point Manufacturing Company, Shawmut, Alan, a corporation of Alabama Application May 14, N51, Serial No. 226,238

8 Claims. (Cl. 26--12) This invention relates to methods and apparatus for removing excess threads from textile web and the like. More particularly, this invention relates to methods and apparatus for removing ravellings remaining after an embroidery operation has been performed on an area of textile web. In the art of embroidery the textile web is normally held in a tensioned condition and an operator operating from one side of the web and employing an automatic embroidery needle proceeds to follow a printed design on the web with various colors of thread. invariably the embroidery operation leaves a considerable amount of excess thread or ravellings on the side of the web facing the operator. It has been in the past considerable problem to remove these ravellings as by cut ting them near the surface of the web and yet not damage the web itself. is provided method and apparatus whereby the ravellings may be readily clipped and removed from a textile web without damage to the latter.

It is, therefore, a primary object of this invention to provide method and apparatus for removing ravellings and the like from textile web.

A further object of this invention is to provide method and apparatus for removing ravellings from textile web by use of clipping apparatus such as conventional barbers clippers.

It is a further object of the invention to provide apparatus in which textile web having ravellings to be removed may be readily tensioned to permit removal of ravellings.

It is a further object of the invention to provide apparatus in which textile web may be readily and automatically tensioned, advanced, and retensioned over a curved surface to permit removal of ravellings by the use of conventional clipping apparatus.

Further objects and the entire scope of the invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description and from the appended claims.

The invention may be best understood with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a front elevation of apparatus for carrying out the invention.

Figure 2 shows a side elevation of the apparatus as viewed from the right side of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a rear elevation of the apparatus of the foregoing figures.

Figure 4 shows a sectional plan view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 shows a plan view taken substantially on the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 shows a vertical sectional view taken along the line 66 of Figure 4.

Figure 7 shows another vertical sectional view taken along the line 7--7 of Figure 4.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Figure 1, a curved table 10 is provided over which a length of textile web W may be tensioned in order that a clipping device C such as conventional barbers clippers or According to the present invention there 2,?lllA-38 Patented June 14, 1955 the like may be manually moved by an operator standing at the right hand side of the apparatus to clip ravellings R remaining after a previous embrodiery operation.

The invention particularly pertains to the clipping of ravellings from a textile wab W where the web is of such structure as so-called Terry cloth toweling having a woven pile with the pile loops standing out from one side of the web and with loops on the other side of the web lying against the web in a given direction. Referring to Figure l, the pile loops would be standing out on the side of the web toward the table 10 and the loops flattened against the Web on the side of the latter opposite the surface of table 10. In Figure l, the flattened loops are designated by the reference letter L and it will be observed that the loops lie in a direction from right to left. In Figure 1 an exaggerated loop designated L is shown to better illustrate the directional position of the flattened loops.

As stated hereinabove, in the past it has not been possible to remove ravellings by the use of clipping apparatus because of the resulting damage to the pile loops. However, it has been discovered that according to the present invention, where clippers C are operated in a direction from right to left in Figure 1 to cut in the direction of the flattened pile loops the ravellings R may be cut very close to the surface of the textile web without cutting the pile loops. In other words, it has been discovered that ravellings may be readily removed by following the method of operating the clipping shears in the direction in which the flattened pile loops lie. If the clipping shears should be operated in the opposite direction the teeth of the shears will invariably dig into the flattened pile loops L and damage the latter.

While a curved table it) is illustrated in the apparatus which will be described more fully below, this table is not absolutely necessary for the practice of the just described method. However, as will become more fully apparent below, the table has considerable utility in that a vacuum may be employed to remove severed ravellings from the vicinity of the shearing operation without picking the web W up so that the shears have no opportunity to cut into the web.

The apparatus for positioning and tensioning desired portions of the web W on the table It) will now be described in detail. The apparatus is mounted upon a framework made up of four upright standards 12, 14, 16 and 18. These standards may be suitably fixed to the floor of the building in which the apparatus is located and may extend upwardly to be supported on the overhead of the building, or may be otherwise suitably braced from the floor to be retained in an upright position. The previously mentioned table it) may consist of two curved arch beams 20 and 22 fixed to the facing surfaces of standards 12, 14, and 16, 18, respectively, at a distance above the floor level which will be convenient for an operator leaning over the table from the right as viewed in Figure 1 between the standards 14 and 16. The surface of the table In may be formed of a plurality of tongue and groove boards 24 each bolted at the ends thereof as by bolts 26 to the arch beams 20 and 22. Alternatively the table surface may be formed of a continuous sheet of board such as ply wood or it may even be a continuous sheet of metal suitably welded or riveted to the arch beams 26 and 22. The arch beams 20 and 22 may be duplicated across the width of the table as required for rigidity.

As is best shown in Figure 2 the table 10 is sufiiciently Wide to receive the web W and yet provide ample space in which the operator may manipulate the clipping dc vice C.

Below the level of the table 10 there are provided upper horizontal supporting beams 28 and 30 mounted between the facing surfaces of standards 12, 14 and 16, 18, respectively. Also mounted between the just-mentioned pairs of standards are lower horizontal support beams 32 and 34. Vertical tie bars 36 and 38 may be provided to interconnect beams 28, 32 and 30, 34, respec tively, to further strengthen the framework. Mounted on the upper surfaces of horizontal beams 32 and 34 are bearing blocks 40 and 42, respectively, these bearing blocks receiving a shaft 44 on which is fixedly keyed a first driven roller 46. The roller 46 is so positioned that a vertical plane tangent to its left hand edge as viewed in Figure 1 will be substantially adjacent the left hand edge of table 10. Mounted for rotation against roller 46 is a first idler roller 48 having a shaft 50 turning in bearing housings 52 and 54. Bearing housing 52 is mounted by means of an angle bracket 56 which is turn is fixedly mounted on a transverse shaft 58. The bearing housing 54 is similarly mounted as by angle bracket 60 on shaft 58. The shaft 58 is retained in U-shaped brackets 62 and 64 which are mounted on the undersurface of horizontal beams 28 and 30, respectively. Each of the rollers 46 and 48 is preferably covered with a resilient material such as cork or rubber and the bearing housings 52 and 54 are so positioned that the peripheries of the two rollers meet firmly. As will be explained more fully below, when the web W is trained between the rollers the frictional engagement of the web with the respective resilient coverings will prevent sliding movement of the web on the rollers. The shaft 58 may be rotatable in brackets 62 and 64 and the shaft spring-biased to engage the rollers, or the shaft once positioned may be welded to the brackets.

Also mounted on the horizontal support beams 32 and 34 is a second driven roller 66 mounted on shaft 68 which in turn is mounted for rotation in bearing blocks 70 and 72 on beams 32 and 34, respectively. Mounted inwardly of roller 66 is a second idler roller 74 mounted in bearing blocks 776 and 78 which are supported from a second transverse shaft 80 by means of angle brackets 82 and 84, respectively. The shaft 80 is retained in U- shaped brackets 86 and 88 in a manner similar to the mounting of previously mentioned shaft 58. Again the rollers 66 and 74 are preferably covered with a resilient material and are so spaced that when the web W is trained between the rollers it will be frictionally held against sliding movement relative to the surface of the rollers. 1

A'web input idler roller 90 is mounted in bearing blocks 92 and 94 to the rear surfaces of upright standards 12 and 18, respectively. will lie somewhat below the lower surface of the first idler roller 48. A web output idler roller 96 is mounted in bearing blocks 98 and 100 adjacent the floor surface and substantially beneath the second idler roller 74.

The apparatus as thus far described is arranged to receive the web W in the following manner: The web is introduced from auxiliary equipment (not shown) beneath roller 90, over roller 48, between rollers 48 and 46 at the engagement point thereof, beneath roller 46, upwardly and over the table 10, downwardly and under the roller 66, between rollers 66 and 74 at the engagement point thereof, over roller 74 and downwardly, underneath roller 96 and thence to other auxiliary equipment (not shown). As mentioned hereinabove, the web W, when passing over the table 10 is positioned so that the normally outstanding pile loops are against the table surface and the side of the web having the pile loops flattened in a direction from right to left, as viewed in Figure 1, appear on the upper surface of the web and are available to the clipping device C.

Further understanding of the nature of the embroidery patterns on the web may be had with particular reference to Figures 2, 4 and 5. in Figure 2 the untrimmed ravellings R are shown on the table 10 and the web proceeding from the table 10 to the roller. 66 shows the The lower edge of roller 90 r flattened loop side of the web with an embroidered design D appearing thereon. Beneath the roller 66 there appears another embroidered design D as it will appear on the so-called right side of the web. The nature of the trimmed and untrimmed designs is similarly apparent in Figures 4 and 5.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the two driven-idler roller units are arranged to move in unison to advance the web so that a design may be conveniently positioned on the surface of table 10. His then desired that one driven-idler roller unit be moved differentially with respect to the other unit so that tension may be created in the web across the surface of the table 10. The arrangement of the apparatus for providing these functions will now be described in detail.

Referring particularly to Figure 3, the shaft 44 of the first driven roller 46 extends beyond the bearing block 42 a sufiicient distance to receive and have keyed thereto a sprocket 102. A chain 104 is trained over sprocket .102 and extends upwardly and is trained over another sprocket 106 which is keyed to the output shaft 108 of a drive motor 110. This motor is equipped with a magnetic brake 112 to positively prevent motion of the shaft 108 when the motor is not energized. This motormagnetic brake device may be of any well known type commercially available and a detailed description herein is believed unnecessary. The motor is arranged to be energized by a manually operated switch 114 located on the table 10 to the side of the web position and yet convenient to the operator. The location of switch 114 is shown in Figures 1, 2, 4, and 5.

Shaft 44 is also keyed to the roller 46 and furthermore extends a sufiicient distance from the bearing block 40 to receive a sprocket 116 keyed thereto. This is clearly shown in Figure 6 as well as the other figures.

The sprocket 116 has trained thereover a drive chain 118 which extends in a horizontal direction and is trained over another sprocket 120 which rides freely on shaft 68 of the second driven roller 66. Also freely rotatable on shaft 68 is a ratchet wheel 122. However, ratchet wheel 122 is fixedly attached to sprocket 120 and turns therewith. Keyed to the shaft 68 immediately adjacent the ratchet wheel 122 is a carrier wheel 124 having attached thereto a transverse bar 126 which carries at one end 128 thereof a ratchet pawl 130. This arrangement is shown in sectional detail Figure 7 as well as in the other figures. As best observed in Figure 1, the ratchet pawl 130 is so oriented that the wheel 124 with bar 126 may rotate clockwise with respect to ratchet wheel 122 but the pawl 130 will prevent counterclockwise rotation of wheel 124 relative to ratchet wheel 122.

The second driven roller 66 is also keyed to the shaft 68. Accordingly, from the apparatus as thus far described, it will be apparent that when the motor 110 is energized by operation of the switch 114 the chain 104 will drive the rollers 46 and 66 in unison in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 1. The roller 66 moves in unison with the roller 46 because the chain 118 rotates the sprocket 120 which in turn drives the ratchet wheel 122 and the pawl 130 rotates carrier wheel 124. Since the wheel 124 is keyed to the shaft 68 along the roller 66 the latter moves with the wheel 124. In order to advance the roller 66 relative to the roller 46 at such time as it is desired to tension the web across the table 10, the shaft 68 is extended a sufficient-distance beyond the bearing block 72 to receive a ratchet wheel 132 keyed to the shaft 68. Freely rotatable on shaft 68 and immediately adjacent the ratchet wheel 132 is a bar 134 having mounted thereon a pawl 136 which engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel 132. The bar 134 is also provided at its outer extremity remote from axle 68 with a transverse stub shaft 138 which serves to pivotally mount on bar 134 a piston rod 140 extending from an air cylinder 142. As may be best observed in Figure 3, the arrangement of the pawl 136 is such that when the piston rod 140 of the air cylinder 142 is retracted into the air cylinder and therefore moves downwardly in Figure 3 the pawl 136 will positively engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 132 and rotate the latter in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 3. Since the ratchet wheel 132 is keyed to the shaft 68 this will rotate the shaft 68 and therefore rotate the previously mentioned bar 126 clockwise relative to the ratchet wheel 122. Accordingly, it will be apparent that the movement of the piston rod 14% in the justmentioned direction will serve to advance the roller 66 relative to the roller 46 and, therefore, the web W will be placed in tension across the surface of table 10.

The air cylinder 142 is arranged to be operated to tension the web W under the control of a switch 144 which may be conveniently located closely adjacent the previously mentioned switch 114 on the surface of table 10. The switch 144 is electrically connected to a relay 146 and the power circuit closed by operation of relay 146 is connected over cable 148 to a solenoid operated air valve 150. The valve 150 may be of any conventional variety and no detail description is considered necessary here of any particular valve. A representative valve is illustrated as 150, this valve being provided with a cornpresscd air supply line 152 and an exhaust line 154. When the switch 144 is closed and the relay 146 operated the power available over cable 143 will operate the valve to introduce air under pressure through conduit 156 to the upper end of air cylinder 142. At the same time, the

valve will interconnect conduit 158 connected with the lower end of air cylinder 142 with the exhaust conduit 154. Accordingly, the piston of the air cylinder 142 will move downwardly and the web will be tensioned according to the foregoing description. The degree of tension will be determined by the pressure exerted on the piston of air cylinder 142 and this pressure may be conveniently regulated by pressure regulating valve in the air supply line. Once tension is established the switch 144 may be operated to its normal position, the relay 146 will open and solenoid valve 150 will reverse the pressure conditions in conduits 156 and 158 thereby moving the piston of air cylinder 142 upwardly to reposition the pawl 136.

Movement of the roller units in unison to advance the web will usually result in appreciable loss of tension in the web. However, it is only necessary to again operate switch 144 to restore tension.

The upper and lower limits of travel of the bar 134 may be controlled by providing resilient stop pads 160 and 162 mounted on the standard 16.

The clipping device C may be operated by a rotating chain 164 within chain housing 166. Also the clipping device C may be provided with a flexible tubular air line 168 from which air may be continually exhausted to thereby provide vacuum within the head structure 170 of the clipping device C overlying the cutting blades to draw away the ravellings R as they are severed from the web. The clipper C may be one of many types. As an example, that clipper shown in United States Patent 1,888,688 has been found suitable.

If the curved table were not present the creation of a vacuum would have a tendency to pull the web into the clipper and therefore damage the web. However, since the web is tensioned over the curved surface, the available atmosphere pressure will be insufiicient to move the web into the clippers.

Many other embodiments of this invention will occur to others upon reading this specification. Therefore, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the foregoing detailed description. The true scope of the invention is to be determined from the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In web tensioning apparatus, a first web advancing means, a second web advancing means, means for operating the first and second advancing means in unison to move a web trained therebetween to a predetermined position, means for locking the first advancing means in a predetermined position, and independent means to controllably advance the second advancing means relative to the first advancing means to tension a length of web between the advancing means.

2. In web tensioning apparatus for tensioning a textile web or the like for removing embroidery ravellings, a first web advancing means comprising driven and idler rollers, a second web advancing means comprising driven and idler rollers, means for operating the first and second advancing means in unison to move a web trained therebetween to a predetermined position, means for locking the first advancing means in a predetermined position, and independent means to controllably advance the second advancing means relative to the first advancing means to tension a length of web between the advancing means.

3. In web tensioning apparatus for tensioning a textile web or the like for removing embroidery ravellings, a first web advancing means, a second web advancing means, a table positioned adjacent the first and second advancing means, means for operating the first and second advancing means in unison to move a web trained therebetween to a predetermined position, the web being trained over the table between the advancing means, means for locking the first advancing means in a predetermined position, and independent means to controllably advance the second advancing means relative to the first advancing means to tension a length of web between the advancing means and in engagement with the surface of the table.

4. In web tensioning apparatus for tensioning a textile web or the like for removing embroidery ravellings, a first web advancing means, a second web advancing means, a convexly curved table positioned adjacent the first and second advancing means, means for operating the first and second advancing means in unison to move a web trained therebetween to a predetermined position, the web being trained over the table between the advancing means, means for locking the first advancing means in a predetermined position, and independent means to controllably advance the second advancing means relative to the first advancing means to tension a length of web between the advancing means and in engagement with the surface of the table.

5. In web tensioning apparatus for tensioning a textile web or the like for removing embroidery ravellings, a first web advancing means comprising driven and idler rollers, a second web advancing means comprising driven and idler rollers, a table positioned adjacent the first and second advancing means, means for operating the first and second advancing means in unison to move a web trained therebetween to a predetermined position, the web being trained over the table between the advancing means, means for locking the first advancing means in a predetermined position, and independent means to controllably advance the second advancing means relative to the first advancing means to tension a length of web between the advancing means and in engagement with the surface of the table.

6. In web tensioning apparatus for tensioning a textile web or the like for removing embroidery ravellings, a first web advancing means comprising driven and idler rollers, a second web advancing means comprising driven and idler rollers, a convexly curved table positioned adjacent the first and second advancing means, means for operating the first and second advancing means in unison to move a web trained therebetween to a predetermined position, the web being trained over the table between the advancing means, means for locking the first advancing means in a predetermined position, and independent means to controllably advance the second advancing means relative to the first advancing means to tension a length of. web between the advancing means and in engagement with the surface of the table.

7. In web tensioning apparatus, first and second advancing rollers over and between which a web of ma- 7 terial'r'nay be trained, first shaft means fixedly secured to thefirst roller, second shaft means fixedly secured to the second roller, first drive means fixedly secured to the first shaft, means for rotating the first drive means, second drive means freely rotatable on the second shaft, means interconnecting the first and second drive means, ratchet and pawl means interconnecting the second shaft means and second drive means, third drive means freely rotatable on the second shaft means, unidirectional motion'fmeans interconnecting the third drive means and th'e'secon'd shaft, and means for rotating the third drive means, the'arrangement being such that the second roller on'd'drive means freely rotatable on the second shaft,

means interconnecting the first and second drive means, unidirectional motion means comprising ratchet and pawl means interconnecting the second shaft means and the second drive means, third drive means freely rotatable on the second shaft means, unidirectional motion means comprising ratchet and pawl means interconnecting the third drive means and the second shaft, and means for rotating the third drive means, the arrangement being such that the second roller may be advanced differentially of the first roller to tension the web extending therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 650,968 Drey June 5, 1900 1,140,460 Jaeger May 25, 1915 1,386,813 Townsend Aug. 9, 1921 1,550,380 Massey Aug. 18, 1925 1,863,006 Carmichael June 14, 1932 

1. IN WEB TENSIONING APPARATUS, A FIRST WEB ADVANCING MEANS, A SECOND WEB ADVANCING MEANS, MEANS FOR OPERATING THE FIRST AND SECOND ADVANCING MEANS IN UNION TO MOVE A WEB TRAINED THEREBETWEEN TO A PREDETERMINED POSTITION, MEANS FOR LOCKING THE FIRST ADVANCING MEAINS IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION, AND INDEPENDENT MEANS TO CONTROLLABLY ADVANCE THE SECOND ADVANCING MEANS RELATIVE TO THE FIRST ADVANCING MEANS TO TENSION A LENGTH OF WEB BETWEEN THE ADVANCING MEANS. 